Entry requirements
Our standard offer for accepting students onto this programme is a good honours degree (2.2 or above). Applicants from a range of undergraduate subjects will be considered.
This is in addition to a brief personal statement outlining interest and areas of specialism being considered, as well as a complete CV. The University has a well-established Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) and Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) structure in operation. Students without previous qualifications may be accepted as part of this process.
If you are unsure whether your qualifications are appropriate you can contact our Post Graduate admissions team at pgadmissions@canterbury.ac.uk.
Months of entry
September
Course content
This is a multidisciplinary Master’s degree that will facilitate an informed understanding of crime from different perspectives within social and psychological sciences.
The course strikes a necessary balance between the ‘social’ and ‘psychological’ for an informed understanding of the ‘science of crime’. On the one hand are the predominantly individualistic perspectives of the disciplines of psychology; on the other are the social-contextual perspectives of social scientific disciplines informing criminology (e.g. sociology, political science, anthropology). In both cases, the course is underpinned by an appreciation of the multifaceted nature of the idea of justice in its different manifestations – criminal, social, political, environmental.
It is not only designed to enhance your intellectual understanding of the science of crime but seeks to equip you for professional level career paths in the state, private and ‘third’ sectors thanks to innovative modules and a dissertation that allows you to specialise in a subject of your choice under individual supervision.
The course is delivered across three trimesters running from September to September. The first trimester develops your knowledge base in theory and research, expanding on skills and understanding from your previous studies. You will also take a specialist module in understanding criminal and offending behaviour.
In the second trimester you will study modules that apply key concepts and research evidence to examine how crime, and responses to it, operate at a social level. A central focus here is an understanding criminal justice and investigative processes, which are the themes of the specialist module in semester two. In addition, you’ll examine controversial contemporary issues relating to crime and society as well as exploring key concepts in more depth, not least, human rights and their implications for crime, justice and society.
Modules are comprised of formal lectures on key themes, including: criminal behaviour, criminal justice, contemporary controversies, human rights, research methods, inequality, power, social class, gender, ethnicity, social structures and human agency.
Based on nationally recognised, award-winning teaching, graduate classes are engaging and interactive. Students are encouraged to produce work via different forms of assessment to maximise their transferable skills and employability. These include essays, book reviews, portfolios, oral presentations, role play, simulations, and exams.
Information for international students
If English is not your first language you require an IELTS overall score of 6.0 with no element below 5.5 for most standard undergraduate and postgraduate courses. There are some exceptions and if the IELTS requirement differs it will be specified on the course page.
